Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Indonesian Perspective Of Wellbeing: A Qualitative Study, Herdiyan Maulana, Patricia Obst, Nigar Khawaja

The Qualitative Report

Cross-cultural research suggests that wellbeing may be experienced differently by distinct populations. While research on wellbeing in non-Western populations has increased, there is limited empirical evidence regarding wellbeing in Indonesia. As the fourth largest country in the world, and with its unique socio-cultural characteristics, the potentially distinctive Indonesian experience of wellbeing has been overlooked by international scholars. The present research investigated the Indonesian perception of wellbeing using a qualitative thematic analysis approach. Thirty Indonesian adults participated in semi structured interviews which focused on their understanding and experience of wellbeing. The analysis revealed a number of keythemes: fulfilment of basic needs; …

The Lebanese Diaspora: An Exploration Of Assimilation And Success In The United States, Elissa Haddad

Dissertations

Starting in the mid-nineteenth century, people from Lebanon began moving in large numbers to North and South America, Africa and Northern Europe. Today, the Lebanese diaspora is estimated to be around 14 million people. Many Lebanese entrepreneurs worldwide have proven to be very successful in a variety of contexts. However, while there is evidence suggesting that the Lebanese diaspora has been among the most successful around the world, the reasons for this success have not yet been systematically studied. For this reason, there is a pressing need for studies that identify and examine the individual and cultural factors that may …

“Se Van A Trabajar, Pero Se Quedan A Vivir”: A Qualitative Exploration Into The Subjective Well-Being Of Mexican Women In A Migrant-Sending Community, Vanessa Saldivar

Master's Theses

The study of subjective well-being and migration are two fields that have increased in prominence in recent decades. However, in the area where the two fields intersect, significant gaps exist. Meanwhile, the majority of research on migration ignores those who stay, resulting in an unbalanced and incomplete understanding of the phenomenon of migration. Using an ethnographic and life history approach, this study explores the subjective well-being of women residing in the migrant-sending community of Tlachichila. Narratives from semi-structured interviews and participant observation field notes were analyzed thematically and emergent themes were identified. Findings suggest that despite the hardship that underscores …

A Change Of Heart: Internal Narratives, Forgiveness & Health, Keiko Ehret

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

In this thesis I investigate the interconnectedness of forgiveness as a narrative, as a philosophical, religious and cultural phenomenon, and the ways in which forgiveness is increasingly being used as a vehicle for improving health and psychological well-being. By threading together how scholars in a variety of fields have approached these areas of study, we can better understand the way the interdisciplinary nature of forgiveness grants access to heal not merely relationships with others, but also our bodies, our minds, and our relationship with ourselves.

Important to my investigation is understanding that the life circumstances that prompt forgiveness consist of …

Experience As Counterpoint: A Qualitative Study Of Home, Happiness & Aging Amongst First-Generation South Asian Migrants In The U.S., Angela Singh

Theses and Dissertations

Susan Stanford Friedman writes that “Home comes into being most powerfully when it is gone, lost, left behind, desired and imagined” (202). My dissertation addresses notions of home, nostalgia, happiness and aging often found in South Asian diasporic fiction, and from the results of a qualitative study I conducted in which I interviewed five migrant couples who moved to the US from India for educational and professional purposes in the 1960s and 1970s. This project draws on and contributes toward the fields of Migration and Diaspora Studies, Transnational Studies and South Asian Studies. My research aims to explore more uncommonly …

Marriage, Religion, And Women's Happiness, Aaron Gordon

Honors Theses

This thesis studies the effect of six major religions (Catholicism, Protestantism, Orthodoxy, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism) on the gender marriage gap and the gender gap in the happiness payoff associated with marriage. Becker (1974) developed a theory on marriage claiming that individuals seek to maximize their utility through marriage. However, in some religions, individuals are coerced into marriage or have an arranged marriage, and thus, it is unlikely that such individuals’ marriage choices reflect their preferences. This paper uses data from the World Values Survey to examine whether religious people’s marriage decisions are consistent with their preferences. The results show …